Robert Jahn and Brenda Dunne on Mind-Matter Interaction
Scientists Robert G. Jahn and Brenda J. Dunne of Princeton University’s Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program present a very innovative framework for conceptualizing the interaction between consciousness and the material world as a part of their seminal paper titled A Modular Model of Mind/Matter Manifestations (M5).
They suggest that these anomalous phenomena—remote perception and human/machine interactions—may emerge not from direct interventions of the conscious mind but from subtler mechanisms involving unconscious processes and intangible physical domains. The modular model they presented underlines the great importance these relatively unexplored dimensions may have and provides a route map through experimental refinement and theoretical development.
Background
Human fascination with the interface between consciousness and the physical world spans millennia, but despite a voluminous accumulation of experimental data from many laboratories, our insight into such phenomena remains piecewise. The work of the PEAR program over more than two decades has produced convincing evidence for mind/matter anomalies, but all too often such findings are capricious in replication or consistent theoretical interpretation.
Traditional experimental paradigms—rooted in direct, conscious attempts to influence physical systems—have proven insufficient. Jahn and Dunne say this may be like looking for keys under the lamppost because the light is better, while the actual processes take place in the dark. To “shed light into these ‘dark areas,'” they put forward a conceptual framework based on the interaction of four modules: the tangible physical world (T), the conscious mind (C), the unconscious mind (U), and the intangible physical domain (I).
The Unconscious and the Intangible
Central to the M5 model is the idea that mind/matter interactions are effects of unconscious processing rather than of direct conscious effort. The unconscious mind houses instincts, memories, and subliminal processes and acts to mediate the transition to the realm of intangible physics. This latter realm, somewhat akin to the “implicate order” described by physicist David Bohm, includes the abstract and as yet unmanifested potentials of matter, energy, and information.
This pairing (U and I) suggests a dynamic interplay where unconscious mental states inform and are informed by an unsubstantiated substrate of reality. In this respect, the endpoints of this circuit are not the conscious mind (C) and the tangible physical world (T) but rather both start and end in the deeper, less defined regions.
The Modular Structure and Its Interfaces
The M5 model conceives of both consciousness and matter as constituting a four-module system interconnected by interfaces that are fluid, not sharply delineated. Two basic pathways are postulated:
Information from the physical world:
T → I → U → C
Here, information diffuses from the tangible into the intangible, wherein the unconscious mind processes it before bringing it into conscious awareness.Insertion of information into the physical world:
C → U → I → T
Conscious intention is ceded to the unconscious, which interacts with the intangible substrate to manifest tangible changes.
Each module bleeds into the other, reflecting the inherent indistinctness and fluidity of these processes. This thereby challenges a more conventional Cartesian division between mind and matter at their deepest levels, merging into a unified reality.
The Source
Jahn and Dunne speculate on the fifth, transcendental element: an overarching “Source” (S) underlying and informing the entire system. This component, again optional for all but non-secular interpretations of the model, could provide it with a metaphysical basis—theoretically connecting the model to those spiritual persuasions dependent upon unity or purpose for their world view.
The Source’s role could be seen as imbuing the unconscious and intangible with a sort of teleological impetus—in other words, a drive toward coherence, creation, and evolution. In either case, metaphorical or ontological, it serves to underscore the holistic nature of this model.
Experimental Implications
The M5 model has crucial implications for experimental design. Unless direct feedback mechanisms elicit improvements in mind/matter interactions, Jahn and Dunne argue that subtler indirect approaches are required. Strategies might include:
- Relaxed Feedback: The environment does not require conscious attention. It may involve meditation or hypnotic stages, which perhaps can guarantee a really deeper participation of the subconscious.
- Paradoxical stimuli: Ambiguous or, actually, “unreal” images may favor states of cognitive dissonance and allow deeper interaction than commonly permitted by the mind-machine.
- Complicated Substrates: Systems including inherent uncertainty might correspondingly resonate with the unconscious mind.
Theoretical Implications
The M5 model bridges a gap between psychology and quantum physics, two of the most speculative domains of two of the most important sciences today, proposing a shared domain in which matter and mind emerge from a common substrate. It essentially represents a very similar concept that Carl Jung postulated under the name of “collective unconscious” or “unus mundus”—the same reality underlying each individual’s experiences.
The theoretical elegance of the model consists in its symmetry-breaking framework: it postulates that forward-directed causality is the governing principle in material phenomena, while in mental phenomena, the guiding principle is backward causation (teleology).
Conclusion
The M5 model put forward by Robert G. Jahn and Brenda J. Dunne is an imaginative attempt to map the elusive interface between mind and matter. It does this by integrating the tangible and intangible, the conscious and unconscious, into a framework that explains existing anomalies and opens up new avenues to explore.
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2 thoughts on “Robert Jahn and Brenda Dunne on Mind-Matter Interaction”
Thank you for this theory and its insights. In the early 1970s I read an article out of a university psychology department (I must suspect the PEAR lab) describing the construction of a low friction paper cylinder rotor that students learned to move mentally/energetically (?). I made several and colleagues and I became successful at manipulating. Later came the Psionic Generator handbook and some got good at producing motion across the room. Still later was the “Energy Wheel”. I purchase hundreds and gave them out as training devices in classes teaching energy directing techniques for health purposes. I continue to hunt for the original article.
My ability to produce the effects seems to have stalled out and you have given me an avenue to explore. It seems to me that a controlled documentation of this ability could be a concrete demonstration of the mind(?)/physical relationship. I am seeking and literature and persons with this skill to further explore this phenomenon. I recall Swami Rama at the Menninger Institute demonstrating the ability but it appears the mainstream community claims all such reports are faked hoaxes. Would love to prove them wrong!
Wow! Thanks for sharing!